Table of Contents for Essential Physics

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Physics

1-1 Physics, Models, and Units
1-2 Unit Conversions, and Significant Figures
1-3 Trigonometry, Algebra, and Dimensional Analysis
1-4 Vectors
1-5 Adding Vectors
1-6 Coordinate Systems
1-7 The Quadratic Formula

Chapter 2 – Motion in One Dimension

2-1 Position, Displacement, and Distance
2-2 Velocity and Speed
2-3 Different Representations of Motion
2-4 Constant-Velocity Motion
2-5 Acceleration
2-6 Equations for Motion with Constant Acceleration
2-7 Example Problem
2-8 Solving Constant-Acceleration Problems

Chapter 3 – Forces and Newton’s Laws

3-1 Making Things Move
3-2 Free-Body Diagrams
3-3 Constant Velocity, Acceleration, and Force
3-4 Connecting Force and Motion
3-5 Newton’s Laws of Motion
3-6 Exploring Forces and Free-Body Diagrams
3-7 Practice with Free-Body Diagrams
3-8 A Method for Solving Problems Involving Newton’s Laws
3-9 Practicing the Method

Chapter 4 – Motion in Two Dimensions

4-1 Relative Velocity in One Dimension
4-2 Combining Relative Velocity and Motion
4-3 Relative Velocity in Two Dimensions
4-4 Projectile Motion
4-5 The Independence of X and Y
4-6 An Example of Projectile Motion
4-7 Graphs for Projectile Motion
4-8 Range

Chapter 5 – Applications of Newton’s Laws

5-1 Kinetic Friction
5-2 Static Friction
5-3 Measuring the Coefficient of Friction

Essential Physics Table of Contents

 5-4 A System of Two Objects and a Pulley
5-5 Uniform Circular Motion
5-6 Solving Problems Involving Uniform Circular Motion
5-7 Using Whole Vectors
5-8 Vertical Circular Motion

Chapter 6 – Linking Forces to Momentum and Energy

6-1 Rewriting Newton’s Second Law
6-2 Relating Momentum and Impulse
6-3 Implication of Newton’s Third Law: Momentum is Conserved
6-4 Center of Mass
6-5 Playing with a Constant Acceleration Equation
6-6 Conservative Forces and Potential Energy
6-7 Power

Chapter 7 – Conservation of Energy and Conservation of Momentum

7-1 The Law of Conservation of Energy
7-2 Comparing the Energy and Force Approaches
7-3 Energy Bar Graphs: Visualizing Energy Transfer
7-4 Momentum and Collisions
7-5 Classifying Collisions
7-6 Collisions in Two Dimensions
7-7 Combining Energy and Momentum

Chapter 8 – Gravity
8-1 Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
8-2 The Principle of Superposition
8-3 Gravitational Field
8-4 Gravitational Potential Energy
8-5 Example Problems
8-6 Orbits
8-7 Orbits and Energy

Chapter 9 – Fluids
9-1 The Buoyant Force
9-2 Using Force Methods with Fluids
9-3 Archimedes’ Principle
9-4 Solving Buoyancy Problems
9-5 An Example Buoyancy Problem
9-6 Pressure
9-7 Atmospheric Pressure
9-8 Fluid Dynamics
9-9 Examples Involving Bernouilli’s Equation

Essential Physics Table of Contents

Chapter 10 – Rotation I: Rotational Kinematics and Torque
10-1 Rotational Kinematics
10-2 Connecting Rotational Motion to Linear Motion
10-3 Solving Rotational Kinematics Problems
10-4 Torque
10-5 Three Equivalent Methods of Finding Torque
10-6 Rotational Inertia
10-7 An Example Problem Involving Rotational Inertia
10-8 A Table of Rotational Inertias
10-9 Newton’s Laws for Rotation
10-10 Static Equilibrium
10-11 A General Method for Solving Static Equilibrium Problems
10-12 Further Investigations of Static Equilibrium

Chapter 11 – Rotation II: Rotational Dynamics

11-1 Applying Newton’s Second Law for Rotation
11-2 A General Method, and Rolling without Slipping
11-3 Further Investigations of Rolling
11-4 Combining Rolling and Newton’s Second Law for Rotation
11-5 Analyzing the Motion of a Spool
11-6 Angular Momentum
11-7 Considering Conservation, and Rotational Kinetic Energy
11-8 Racing Shapes
11-9 Rotational Impulse and Rotational Work

Chapter 12 – Simple Harmonic Motion

12-1 Hooke’s Law
12-2 Springs and Energy Conservation
12-3 An Example Involving Springs and Energy
12-4 The Connection with Circular Motion
12-5 Hallmarks of Simple Harmonic Motion
12-6 Examples Involving Simple Harmonic Motion
12-7 The Simple Pendulum

Chapter 13 – Thermal Physics: A Macroscopic View

13-1 Temperature Scales
13-2 Thermal Expansion
13-3 Specific Heat
13-4 Latent Heat
13-5 Solving Thermal Equilibrium Problems
13-6 Energy-Transfer Mechanisms

Chapter 14 – Thermal Physics: A Microscopic View

14-1 The Ideal Gas Law
14-2 Kinetic Theory
14-3 Temperature

Essential Physics Table of Contents

 14-4 Example Problems
14-5 The Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution; Equipartition
14-6 The P-V Diagram

Chapter 15 – The Laws of Thermodynamics

15-1 The First Law of Thermodynamics
15-2 Work, and Internal Energy
15-3 Constant Volume and Constant Pressure Processes
15-4 Constant Temperature and Adiabatic Processes
15-5 A Summary of Thermodynamic Processes
15-6 Thermodynamic Cycles
15-7 Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
15-8 Heat Engines

Chapter 16 – Electric Charge and Electric Field

16-1 Electric Charge
16-2 Charging an Object
16-3 Coulomb’s Law
16-4 Applying the Principle of Superposition
16-5 The Electric Field
16-6 Electric Field: Special Cases
16-7 Electric Field Near Conductors

Chapter 17 – Electric Potential Energy and Electric Potential

17-1 Electric Potential Energy
17-2 Example Problems Involving Potential Energy
17-3 Electric Potential
17-4 Electric Potential for a Point Charge
17-5 Working with Force, Field, Potential Energy, and Potential
17-6 Capacitors and Dielectrics
17-7 Energy in a Capacitor, and Capacitor Examples

Chapter 18 – DC (Direct Current) Circuits

18-1 Current, and Batteries
18-2 Resistance and Ohm’s Law
18-3 Circuit Analogies, and Kirchoff’s Rules
18-4 Power, The Cost of Electricity , and AC Circuits
18-5 Resistors in Series
18-6 Resistors in Parallel
18-7 Series-Parallel Combination Circuits
18-8 An Example Problem; and Meters
18-9 Multi-loop Circuits
18-10 RC Circuits

Essential Physics Table of Contents

Chapter 19 – Magnetism
19-1 The Magnetic Field
19-2 The Magnetic Force on a Charged Object
19-3 Using the Right-hand Rule
19-4 Mass Spectrometer: An Application of Force on a Charge
19-5 The Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Wire
19-6 The Magnetic Torque on a Current Loop
19-7 Magnetic Field from a Long Straight Wire
19-8 Magnetic Field from Loops and Coils

Chapter 20 – Generating Electricity

20-1 Magnetic Flux
20-2 Faraday’s Law of Induction
20-3 Lenz’s Law and a Pictorial Method for Faraday’s Law
20-4 Motional emf
20-5 Eddy Currents
20-6 Electric Generators
20-7 Transformers and the Transmission of Electricity

Chapter 21 – Waves and Sound

21-1 Waves
21-2 The Connection with Simple Harmonic Motion
21-3 Frequency, Speed, and Wavelength
21-4 Sound and Sound Intensity
21-5 The Doppler Effect for Sound
21-6 Superposition and Interference
21-7 Beats; and Reflections
21-8 Standing Waves on Strings
21-9 Standing Waves in Pipes

Chapter 22 – Electromagnetic Waves

22-1 Maxwell’s Equations
22-2 Electromagnetic Waves and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
22-3 Energy, Momentum and Radiation Pressure
22-4 The Doppler Effect for EM Waves
22-5 Polarized Light
22-6 Applications of Polarized Light

Chapter 23 – Reflection and Mirrors

23-1 The Ray Model of Light
23-2 The Law of Reflection; Plane Mirrors
23-3 Spherical Mirrors: Ray Diagrams
23-4 A Qualitative Approach: Image Characteristics
23-5 A Quantitative Approach: The Mirror Equation
23-6 Analyzing the Concave Mirror
23-7 An Example Problem

Essential Physics Table of Contents

Chapter 24 – Refraction and Lenses
24-1 Refraction
24-2 Total Internal Reflection
24-3 Dispersion
24-4 Ray Diagrams for Thin Lenses
24-5 Lens Examples
24-6 Analyzing the Convex Lens
24-7 The Human Eye and the Camera
24-8 Multi-lens Systems

Chapter 25 – Interference and Diffraction

25-1 Interference from Two Sources
25-2 The Diffraction Grating
25-3 Diffraction from a Single Slit
25-4 Diffraction: Double Slits and Circular Openings
25-5 Reflection
25-6 Thin-Film Interference: The Five-Step Method
25-7 Applying the Five-Step Method

Chapter 26 – Special Relativity

26-1 Observers
26-2 Spacetime and the Spacetime Interval
26-3 Time Dilation – Moving Clocks Run Slowly
26-4 Length Contraction
26-5 The Breakdown of Simultaneity

Chapter 27 – The Quantum World

27-1 Planck Solves the Ultraviolet Catastrophe
27-2 Einstein Explains the Photoelectric Effect
27-3 A Photoelectric Effect Example
27-4 Photons Carry Momentum
27-5 Particles act like Waves
27-6 Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle

Chapter 28 – The Atom

28-1 Line Spectra and the Hydrogen Atom
28-2 Models of the Atom
28-3 The Quantum Mechanical View of the Atom
28-4 The Pauli Exclusion Principle
28-5 Understanding the Periodic Table
28-6 Some Applications of Quantum Mechanics

Chapter 29 – The Nucleus

29-1 What Holds the Nucleus Together?
29-2 E = mc2

Essential Physics Table of Contents

 29-3 Radioactive Decay Processes
29-4 Radioactivity
29-5 Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear Fission
29-6 Applications of Nuclear Physics
29-7 A Table of Isotopes

Essential Physics Table of Contents